1 - A Letter from Our Executive Director

BLC Executive Director, Celine O'Neill

Illiteracy is not a problem that can be easily categorized and then dismissed. It does not just affect certain populations, although it disproportionately touches the lives of the poor. It is a problem close to home, affecting people each of us knows.

At the Brunner Literacy Center, we see people every day -- young and old, poor and middle class, native English speakers and people who are foreign-born -- who are seeking a way up or simply a better life. In 2017, we saw 461 students at our three locations. They are people with the same aspirations as you or me.​Our volunteer tutors are also people like you and me. Tutoring is not simply a transfer of information from one person to another, but rather a call to relationship and connection. We all want to give, to make a lasting contribution to something greater than ourselves. Our tutors provided more than 8,500 instructional hours last year, everything from basic letter recognition to trigonometry. Because of their efforts, 69 students met their goals.

Our donors -- you guessed it! -- are people like us as well. We have some supporters who can send us transformational donations for which we are truly grateful. For the most part, though, we rely heavily on the $10, $25 and $50 donations from supporters who let us know that they are thinking of us and take the time to send us what they can afford, often accompanied by a handwritten note. These gifts from the heart are appreciated more than you know.

Thank you for all you do to support the mission and people of the Brunner Literacy Center. Truth be told, we are all in this together.

2 - Our Students & Programs

3 - People Like You Tutor Here

BLC tutor, Melissa

Melissa began volunteering at the Brunner Literacy Center in the fall of 2017. Having recently moved to Dayton, she saw a note in a church bulletin saying the BLC was in search of new tutors. “I love learning, reading, serving, and teaching,” she says, “and even though I have the pleasure to teach children all day as a fifth grade math teacher, I was excited by the opportunity to work one-on-one with motivated adult students at the Center.”

Melissa grew up as an enthusiastic learner, and loved school so much she chose a career in teaching so that she never had to leave. However, she found that for some of her classmates, school was frustratingly challenging. She began peer tutoring, which strengthened her commitment to helping others with their educational development. “I believe everyone can learn and everyone should have the opportunity to do so,” she states, “and the Brunner Literacy Center does a much needed job of expanding access to that opportunity to adults in Dayton.”​For Melissa, joining the Brunner Literacy Center was a natural way for her to become more connected to the community. She says since becoming involved with the BLC she feels “happier and more inspired.” When describing her bi-weekly visits to the center she states, “I am greeted by friendly, smiling staff and I get to work with an amazing student who cares so much about improving his English literacy skills and who, without fail, works hard to reach his goals at and in between every session.” Melissa describes her experience at the BLC as one that has helped her “appreciate, and love, Dayton and its people so much more."

4 - Our 2017 Financial Report

As a young non-profit, the Brunner Literacy Center has relied heavily on grant funding to get us and our programs off the ground. We have been fortunate to receive strong support from local and national funders for the past several years.

Our goal is to make a shift toward sustainability by decreasing the portion of our revenue that comes from grants.

One way the BLC has begun working toward that goal is by forming strong partnerships with other local service agencies who either share a similar mission or who serve similar populations of people in need of educational development.

So what happens if we include volunteer service as a form of revenue? After all, hundreds of tutors and volunteers have donated thousands of hours to the BLC over the past six years, and without their time and skills, we couldn't exist.

Conservatively valuing each volunteer hour at $20, we reach a figure of more than $165,000 in donated services in 2017.

We know. No one likes to see a lot of nonprofit money going toward administrative overhead. With that in mind, we want to explain a few things:

1. The BLC is fortunate enough to have our facility on Salem Ave provided to us by Precious Blood Parish, and our partner facilities are provided by those partners. This keeps our overall facilities and equipment costs minimal.

2. With the growth we've seen in the past two years, we have needed to hire several new staff members in new positions, increasing our personnel cost a bit from 35% in 2016 to 39% in 2017. The BLC has nine employees, only four of whom worked full-time last year.

​3. As our revenue has increased every year, we have been able to expand our educational programming in many areas, including the number of individuals served and the learning materials we offer our students. None of our students ever has to pay for textbooks, workbooks, or computer-based programs.

5 - People Like You Learn Here

BLC student, Tracy

Tracy came to the Brunner Literacy center four years ago looking to improve her reading and math skills after moving to Dayton from Washington D.C. Growing up with a chronic disease, Tracy missed out on much of her education. “I was sick all the time,” she describes, “I was in and out of school. I hated to miss school because of my illness.” The Brunner Literacy Center, she says, has given her a second chance at learning. She especially appreciates the warm, welcoming environment, stating, “This is a nice atmosphere. This is a place where people can learn and come to get their education.”

Tracy describes her time at the Brunner Literacy Center as one of growth. “I look around,” she states, “and where I came from and where I am now, I see my life at a better place.” Tracy credits much of her success to the people who have supported her throughout her learning journey. “I always wanted to be in school learning something, but sometimes I would put myself down and say I couldn’t do it,” she says, “but here I’ve had people pushing me, saying reading is important.”

The forming of individual relationships is at the core of everything we do at the Brunner Literacy Center, and Tracy expresses her appreciation of everyone who has helped her along the way. She fondly recalls her favorite tutor, BLC's Salem Avenue Site Coordinator Kathy Reed, stating, “[Kathy] wants to help people learn. She wants to help them grow."

6 - Our Tutors & Volunteers

Click here for a complete list of TUTORS & volunteers in 2017

Abby Triglia

*Gail Rowe*

​*Mary Ann Martin*

Al Biegel

Sr. Genny Volk

Mary Ellen Dillon

Aleta Kiel

*Gerri Gordley*

*Sr. Mary Ellen Lampe*

Alice Saidel

Greg Gondek

Mary Kay Democko

*Alma Michael*

Greg Heiman

*Sr. Mary Rose McCrate*

Amy Meyers

Hal Govan

Sr. Maryann Bremke

*Angie Drexler*

Helen Umphrey

Marybeth Govan

Sr. Anna Maria Sanders

Ida Andrews

Matt Schaefer

Annette Dodsworth

Jacob Fishbein

Matthew Conley

Arthur "Pete" Petrini

James C. Carey, IV

Maureen Ruff

Barb Bayliff

Jan Balbach

Melissa Hammer

Barb Hess

*Jan Trick*

Mike Gallagher

Sr. Barbara Davis

Jan Vivanco

Mike Puterbaugh

*Barbara Zeier*

*Jana Fischer*

Nan Halton

*Becki Homan*

Janet Miller

Nancy Gaudion

*Bernard Schiml*

Jason Nolte

Nancy Jewson

Beth Fraser

Sr. Jeanette Buehler

Norbert Green

Betty Gallagher

Jeanne Talmadge

Pat Foley

Bev Kramer

Jim Brooks

Pat Henne

Bill Lauber

*Jim Sroga*

Pat Maloney

Bob Levy

*Joan Marquis*

​*Patricia Allbritton*

Bob Mackenzie

Joan Mucha

*Patricia Deddens*

Bonnie Ekhart

*Joanne Koesters*

Peg Haley

Brad Roediger

Joanne Reynolds

Peyton Bernard

*Bradley Meyer*

Joe Walsh

Razia Abdullah

*Brantley Beck*

John Dues

*Renee Knab*

Brendan Dillon

*John Horwitz*

​*Richard Bradfield*

Brent Douglas

John Muhlenkamp

​*Richard Rapp*

*Carmita Kimball*

Joy Idries

Rita Brinkman

Carole Gathagan

Judy Graf

*Rita Hess*

Carole Lacombe-Muhlenkamp

*Sr. Judy Niday*

Rita Tilton

*Catherine Aubrey*

Judy Wellman

*Robert Snyder*

Catherine Babcock

*Julie Hatton*

Ron Mellon

Cathy Fain

Karen Clark

Ron Wellman

Cecilia Ewers

*Karen Kanaga*

*Ronald Shearer*

*Cheryl Asbury*

Karen Waitzman

Sr. Rosalie Kastner

Cheryl Lamb

*Karen Willinger*

Rose Papp

Christine Garcher

Kathie Menker

Sr. Rose Margaret Broerman

Christine McClellan

Kathleen Biegel

*Rosie Woolley*

Christopher Rucker

*Kathleen Shanahan-Aughe*

*Ruth Ann Schmaltz*

*Claire Wilt*

Kathryn Flores

*Sandra Mefford*

Cody Ruffing

Kay Dixon

Sandra Prikkel

Connie Beal

Kay Gallihar

Sandy Bench

Connie Leber

*Ken Coe*

Sandy Hartman

Corey Kuminecz

*Kent McClelland*

Scheryl Biegel

*Daryl Woody*

Larry Herrmann

Scott Theibert

Dave Diven

*Latoya Warren*

*Shallon Coleman*

Dave Garcher

Laura Discher

Sharon Burns

David Henseler

Laura Thimons

Sharon Graybill

Deborah Kim

LeShawn Jackson

Sheila Blanton

Diane Borradaile

Linda Ankney

Sherry Bower

Diane Grant

Lori Ullmer

Stan Senak

Diane Platfoot

Luke Bachmann

*Stephanie McGuinness*

Sr. Dolores Fritz

Lynn Gitzinger

*Steve Bellitt*

*Don Stephan*

Sr. Marcia Buchard

Susan Thie

*Earl Staddon*

Marcie Griffin

Suz Levy

*Elaine Huguely*

Margaret Makupson

Sylvia McBain

Elinor Tootle

*Margy Hurst*

Teresa Zumwald

Elizabeth Naughton

Maria Lowry

Terri Gilbert

Emilie Dymond

Marie Jenkins

Tom Bench

*Eric Zingler*

Marilyn Klaben

Tom Biegel

Erika Allison

Marty Foos

Tom Bishop

*Ethel Carr*

Mary Heery

Tom Bowles

*Fran Roach*

Mary Krueger

​*Tom Hurley*

*Frances Smith*

Mary Lang

*Urban Michel*

Gail Caffrey

*retired in 2017**deceased in 2017*

7 - People Like You Work Here

Del Mar Encore Fellow, Sherrè Collier

Sherrè Collier became involved with the Brunner Literacy Center through the Del Mar Encore Fellowship, a program of The Dayton Foundation which facilitates "encore career" opportunities for people who have retired and still want to give back to their communities. Sherrè was particularly drawn to the opportunity of working with the Brunner Literacy Center because of its mission and its location in her own Trotwood neighborhood.

Literacy holds special meaning to Sherrè, whose father was illiterate. “He stopped going to school by 5th grade and joined his family as a sharecropper in Mississippi,” she describes. Like many of our students, Sherrè’s father was a resourceful and “highly intelligent man and used his other senses and tools to secure a good job and take care of his family.” Still, illiteracy posed its challenges. She says he “had to listen intently during job training and remember what to do, because he could not read the manuals,” and had to leave a management position when his inability to read made the position too stressful and impacted his performance.

At age 12, Sherrè took after her mother, an educator, and began tutoring her father, working with him as he studied with a televised learning program on PBS. “I know that for the majority of people illiteracy has nothing to do with intelligence and reading means getting a good job,” she says. This perspective is part of what makes her such a valuable part of the BLC team. After retiring her career position to join the BLC, Sherrè says her life “has a new joy” and describes it as “fulfilling and rewarding.”

When asked what literacy means to her, Sherrè says, “freedom, adventure, and opportunity. Being able to read is powerful and life-changing, life-sustaining, and life-growing. It is also a gift to have and to share.”

8 - Community Connection - TEDxDayton 2017

In October, the BLC's Marketing & Communications Manager, Bridget Shingleton (now Hutt), took to the stage of the Victoria Theater for TEDxDayton 2017. Bridget's talk, "A Literate Life," focuses on the cognitive processes involved in reading and writing, and shares information about the personal effects and national scope of low literacy skills.

"Learning how to read and write changes the way we think," Bridget explains. "Literacy gives us skills that transfer over to other parts of our lives. It makes us more flexible in our thinking and better at problem-solving. Reading and writing is really all about decoding and using a system of symbols. Ultimately it's like solving a puzzle! And the more practice we get, the less we have to think about it, which allows us to focus on what we really need to pay attention to in life. Literacy makes life easier and more accessible for everyone."

An avid reader and writer, and former spelling bee enthusiast, Bridget also shares part of her own journey. "I love books so much I even got married in the library!" she says. "My husband and I love to read together. Our families really instilled in both of us a deep love of learning."

9 - People Like You Serve on Our Board

BLC Board Member, Steve Hess

For Steve Hess, involvement with the Brunner Literacy Center is a family affair. He was drawn to the Brunner Literacy Center after many dinner table discussions with his wife, Barb, who has been volunteering as a tutor for the BLC for many years. “She also asked me to walk the first Brunner 5K with her,” he says, “so I got to meet many of the people that were the keys to the success of the Brunner Center. Knowing a little bit more about their mission and how valuable it is to the literacy community, I wanted to get further involved.” Steve did so in a big way, by becoming a board member in December of 2015.

Steve and Barb have also been hugely involved in the planning and execution of the Brunner Literacy Center’s annual 5K for several years. Their dedication has contributed to the continual growth and success of the Center’s largest fundraiser.

Throughout his life Steve has been fortunate to have great teachers. One favorite was his math and physics teacher, Mr. Flora, who was able to share his knowledge in ways his students could understand, while being tough, fair, and kind. Another favorite teacher was Steve’s own mother, whom Steve describes as “kind, gentle, caring, [and] trusting.” Steve says she “carried herself with a quiet confidence” and taught by example, giving him the foundation for how to live his life.

Rounding out Steve’s list of his top three teachers is none other than his wife, Barb. “My wife has been my best teacher since we were married almost 43 years ago,” says Steve. “She sets an example of caring, trusting, making the right decisions for the right reasons, and [doing] the right thing naturally without having to think deeply about it. She took over where my mom left off in making me a better person and in helping bring forward many of the values we both share today.”